Trump Lauds ‘Unbreakable Spirit of the Jewish People’ in Yom HaShoah Remarks to Leading Group

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President Trump delivers a Yom HaShoah message.

US President Donald Trump paid tribute to the victims of the Holocaust on Sunday and lauded Jewish courage in the face of genocide, in Holocaust Remembrance Day remarks to a leading international Jewish group.

“On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, we tell the stories of the fathers, mothers and children, whose lives were extinguished and whose love was torn from this earth,” Trump said, in a pre-recorded video address to the World Jewish Congress Plenary Assembly in New York. “We also tell the stories of courage in the face of death, humanity in the face of barbarity, and the unbreakable spirit of the Jewish people.”

He added, “On Yom HaShoah, we look back at the darkest chapter of human history. We mourn, we remember, we pray, and we pledge: Never again. I say it, never again.”

Trump also spoke about the achievements of the state of Israel and about the importance of combating antisemitism, including from the Iranian regime.

“Today, only decades removed from the Holocaust, we see a great nation risen from the desert and we see a proud Star of David waving above the State of Israel.” he said. “That star is a symbol of Jewish perseverance. It’s a monument to unyielding strength. We recall the famous words attributed to Theodor Herzl: If you will, it is no dream. If you will it, it is no dream.”

He continued, “Jews across the world have proved the truth of these words day after day. In the memory of those who were lost, we renew our commitment and our determination not to disregard the warnings of our own times. We must stamp out prejudice and antisemitism everywhere it is found. We must defeat terrorism, and we must not ignore the threats of a regime that talks openly of Israel’s destruction. We cannot let that ever even be thought of.”

Trump’s remarks stood in contrast to the White House’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day statement in January which was roundly criticized for neglecting to specifically mention Jews.

The president also had words of praise for WJC President Ronald Lauder, with whom he reportedly attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1960s.

“I want to thank Ronald Lauder,” he said, “not only for his many years of friendship — and he truly has been my good friend, he even predicted early that I was going to win the presidency — but also for his leadership of this organization. He has done a fantastic job.”